Consumers today are continuously subjected to advertising messages on virtually every available communication medium. For example, consumers are regularly presented with commercials when watching television or listening to the radio. Similarly, consumers are constantly exposed to “pop-ups” and “banner ads” when viewing websites or electronic documents. Despite the prevalence of advertisements today, the effectiveness of these advertisements remains elusive due to difficulty in attributing a consumer's purchase with any particular advertisement, advertising campaign, or means of presenting advertisements. Thus, entities wishing to advertise are left with uncertainty regarding the most effective means of reaching their target audience. Advertising entities are therefore also left with uncertainty as to the return on investment for advertising their brand, product, or service.
Consumers also become dissatisfied with receiving advertisements for which they have no interest. For example, a person who has recently purchased a new primary residence may not wish to receive advertising for home financing options, real estate listings, etc. That same person, however, may have a strong interest in receiving advertisements associated with home improvement products and services. In contrast, media content providers typically “air” advertisements based only on contractual obligations to the companies that have paid to have their advertisements aired a certain number of times, during a certain time period, etc. with little or no ability to know or accommodate preferences of the consumers. Thus, consumers currently have little or no control over the advertising presented to them.